Keep strong

I am writing from Cort, the Public Library by the City Hall here in Palma. I am in the last stages in the process of finishing my thesis… After four very demanding years being in charge of the educational program at Fundación Botín (2011-2014), I felt I needed a break and I decided to got back to what I like the most: doing research and working on projects with teachers.

These three years have been very demanding as well, but in some ways they have been a treat. With Roci, Suvi and Diego we took Easy Yeah!, lets say from an alpha to a beta phase and last year, word of mouth, we worked with many beautiful schools and institutions (Palma Activa, CEIP Navalazarza, Colegios El Valle, etc.). Besides EY!, my main stable work sources have been CESINE and University of Cantabria. At CESINE I feel incredibly lucky for being part of a team lead by Oscar Lanza and with so talented people such as Irene Jiménez, Carmen Quijano or Bruno Ochaita, among many others. Within three creative degrees (fashion, interior, and graphic design), I have been responsible for a mandatory subject on Creativity that allowed me to explore in detail new approaches to design thinking and (even though I don’t like the term very much) the whole makers culture/movement thing. At UC, besides directing (now 5) final year dissertations, I had the chance of teaching in fourth grade my favorite subjects: Innovation and Educational Research. There I have helped student teachers to develop real projects but, more important, I have become a better researcher myself.

And yes, all that besides my thesis… I have been lucky enough to concentrate my teaching in the first semesters, so most of my progress has been made in the periods from February to August. Actually this is what allowed me to strategically place along the road, the most rewarding experiences of this process (my academic residencies in Guimaraes, Copenhagen and Luneburg). So thankful to my adorable supervisors there: Nelson Zagalo, Stine Ejsing-Duun and Mathias Fuchs.

I guess having so many diverse interests and trying to be honest with what you really like, make things a little bit more difficult… Still, I think it also makes you kind of proud of yourself. And well, now that I am in this critical and difficult “closure phase” that’s what I want to say to myself (and share it with you): Come on, Jorge. Keep strong… you are almost there.

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